cornerstone of the "Hung Kuo dynasty" from 1996 through 1998 when the team won three consecutive championships of Taiwan's professional Chinese Basketball Alliance (中華職業籃球聯盟). He was named the most valuable player (MVP) for the 1995–1996 season and for the 1998 championship series where he almost single-handedly brought his team to its third title out of a 1-3 plight in the best-of-seven series against the powerful challenger, the Kaohsiung Mars. After the Taiwanese professional league, as well as his home club, the Hung Kuo Elephants, came to disbandment due to financial difficulties in 1999, Cheng moved to play for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association in mainland China. Teamed up with the then-adolescent Yao Ming, Cheng helped the young Sharks advance to the finals for the first time in franchise history before they were defeated by the nearly invincible Bayi Rockets. First Taiwanese player to join the top-tier Chinese league, Cheng was selected to play in the postseason all-star game and received the league's sporting ethics award. After one rather successful season in China, Cheng returned to Taiwan to play for Dacin Tigers in the amateur Division-A conference (甲組聯賽) where he ended his playing career in the following year (2001). After retirement as a player Under the arrangement of his sponsor Wang Jen-ta (王人達), the then-president of the executive board of the Republic of China Basketball Association (中華民國籃球協會) and a political ally of James Soong, Cheng Chih-lung ran for and won the 2001 legislative election as the People First Party (PFP) nominee in the first district of Taipei County. His political career, however, was overshadowed by the scandal of extramarital affair with legislative colleague Kao Chin Su-mei, and public censures for inaction. In the capacity of legislator, nevertheless, Cheng Chih-lung was given the credit of working with the government's Sports Affairs Council to give birth to the Super Basketball League, which started to function in 2003. In the fifth season of the league's existence, Cheng Chih-lung accepted the commission to coach Taiwan Mobile Clouded Leopards and brought the losing team to an improved 15–15 record in the 2009–2010 season. References http://www.taiwanhoops.com/1999/10/taiwan-star-cheng-chih-lung-to-play-in.html http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2011/05/25/303629/Basketball-star.htm Living people Taiwanese men's basketball players Members of the 5th Legislative Yuan 1969 births New Taipei Members of the Legislative Yuan People First Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Taiwanese basketball coaches Shooting guards Small forwards Shanghai Sharks players Amis people Taiwanese people of American descent Taiwanese